Scent of the Past
by GizmoAce
Summary: When Bella catches a scent she can't identify, Edward and Jacob try to shield her from the truth...they don't succeed.
1. Chapter 1

I sensed them first. They were in the thickest part of the forest so the noise was muffled, but that did nothing to camouflage their stench. I wasn't sure what they were, but risks weren't something I was prepared to take; Renesmee and Jacob were visiting.

I glanced up from my magazine. Edward was listening to chamber music and didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. That would change the moment I moved; he would be at my side instantly. My Edward, he still sees me as the simpering little human he rescued all those years ago. I smiled thinking back on the first years we were together.

The rancid scent drew my attention back to the moment. Edward smelled it now, and we were across the room standing at the window in quick order. Nothing seemed out of sync. I viewed every blade of grass, every drop of water. Not a grain of sand around our home was disturbed.

"What are they?" I asked.

"I'm not sure." Edward placed his arm around my waist and pulled me close. "I want you to stay here, Bella. I'm going to check."

I shook my head; my husband never learns. We raced through the house and out to the deck. The foul odor filled the air and I stopped my breathing for a moment so I wouldn't gag.

"Bella?" Jacob stuck his head out the door.

"You smell it too?" I asked, turning toward him.

"Yeah, and I've smelled it before." He came out onto the deck and stood beside us. "The packs on its way, things are fixing to get interesting."

"What is it?" Edward asked; his voice calm but guarded.

"Zombies." Jacob said.

"Be serious." I laughed. I believe in just about everything-mostly because I've seen just about everything-but not once in over a hundred years had I heard about zombies being anything but B Rated movie fodder.

"I am serious." He growled.

I looked up at Edward expecting to see his crooked smile. They had to be playing a joke on me, but if my heart still beat it would have stopped. There was no other way to describe the look on Edwards face; he was scared.

"Edward?" I asked.

"Bella go in the house."

"No."

"You don't want to see them, believe me." Jacob added his opinion.

"Where's Renesmee?" I wasn't going inside but I wanted to make sure my daughter stayed there.

"In the safe room, I made her go in before I came outside."

"Thank you, Jacob." I touched his arm gently. "Now…since zombies have been added to the list of _weird but true_ things, what do they want?"

"Bella please go in the house." Edward wasn't ready to concede defeat.

"Do they mean us harm?" I was ignoring him, and it worked. He ran his fingers through his mussed up hair and sighed resignedly.

"They haven't got working brains, Bella. They don't do anything intentionally. They just migrate where the scent's the strongest."

"They smell us?"

"They smell the blood. Carlisle just restocked the coolers; one of the large vats busted today. You were out with Renesmee, Carlisle and I cleaned it up."

"Not good enough." Jacob's upper lip curled.

"The blood was tainted, that's what they smell."

"I don't understand, I mean where did they come from? Zombies don't just pop up out of nowhere looking for blood."

"Bella, that's why I wanted you to go inside…" Edward stopped talking and refused to look at me. "Tell her Jake." He said without emotion.

"Ah Bella, why wouldn't you just go inside?" Jake asked past the lump in his throat.

"Tell me." I demanded, although I was beginning to wonder if I really wanted to hear it.

"Someone had to purposefully create them, and going by the stench there's a lot of them. The only place with enough dead bodies in the area is the Forks cemetery."

I saw red, and my fangs distended instantly. I'd dealt with the death of my father many years ago, but the pain of loss was ever present. I read between the lines of what the two most important men in my life couldn't bring themselves to tell me.

Someone had desecrated the cemetery and that meant only one thing…I was going to have to fight the reanimated corpse of Charlie.


	2. Chapter 2

The pack arrived. Over the years it had grown to more than fifty wolves, all following Sam. Jacob hugged me fiercely before leaping off the deck; he was a wolf before he reached the ground.

Edward translated the inner dialogue between members of the pack, so I would know what was going on. Sam had seen a zombie cluster moving into a clearing half a mile away. There were dozens of them. Leah was tracking another cluster several hundred yards behind the first.

"Sam thinks they'll come in different waves; I agree. Whoever did this went row by row at the cemetery."  
"Why?"

"Strategy. As soon as we clear out one cluster, another arrives; the element of surprise isn't necessary. They hope the pack will wear down from fatigue."

"We can't fight them on our own." I hated admitting that, but it was true.

"That's the plan, Bella. With the pack out of the way we'll be left vulnerable." Edward said through gritted teeth.

"Can you see who's doing it?" I asked. Edward shook his head no.

A gust of air raised my hair; Alice and Jasper stood on the deck. I was thankful for the added numbers and I knew Alice would have information we couldn't see.

"The Volturi are behind it. Aro is tired of waiting for Renesmee to join them." She explained.

Rage filled me. What did she mean he was tired of waiting? He wanted my daughter?! That would never happen. We hadn't heard a word from the Volturi in more than a century. Aro knew challenging the Cullen Clan was futile; we had too many family members around the globe.  
"He won't get to Renesmee." Edward said with conviction.

Jacob heard and howled loudly into the night. I looked down at him and reassured him that Renesmee was safe; I would burn every member of the Volturi myself. "I give you my word, Jacob." He growled and pawed the ground.

"Aro's using the zombies as a diversion, but I can't tell if the Volturi are close by. Something's blocking my vision." Alice scrunched her eyes close trying to push past whatever was blocking her. Jasper placed his hands gently on her shoulders for reassurance.

"They're getting close." Edward interrupted. "You're right, Jacob." He said.

"What? What did Jacob say?" I asked.

"While we're busy fighting the clusters, Aro plans to steal Renesmee. Once he has her, he'll demand she join the Volturi. He'll likely use us as bargaining chips."

"She'll feel responsible to protect us; she'll sacrifice herself doing so." Edward predicted.

"NOOO!" I shrieked. "I'm going to Renesmee." I turned and ran into the house. I didn't stop until I stood in front of the steel door of the safe room. I pressed the button on the intercom. "Let me in." I instructed.

I stood back as the heavy metal door swung open. I squeezed through the door and gathered my daughter into my arms. I reached around her and punched the button and the door closed sealing us inside.

"What's going on Mom?" She asked.

"The Volturi are planning an attack."

I felt her shiver and hugged her closer. She was the best parts of Edward and me. To her the world was a place of beauty; she didn't notice the ugly underbelly of society. I should have taught her better but I hadn't wanted her to know sadness or anger. The only thing I had made sure she understood was how bad the Volturi were.

I explained to her what they were after, and reassured her that I would never let anything bad happen to her. As I predicted her thoughts went immediately to everyone else. She was overcome with fear and I had to sit her down on a chair.

"It sounds much worse than it is, sweetie. Look, I'll show you." I walked across the small room and turned on the bank of monitors. The deck and surrounding forest came into view on the screens. "There's your dad, and Jacob is with the pack just there." I pointed to the edge of the forest.

We watched for several minutes and nothing happened. Carlisle and the rest of the family were now on the deck; Rosalie paced back and forth. I knew her protective instincts for Renesmee were almost as strong as mine. I actually felt sorry for any zombie that tried to get past her.

"What's that?" Renesmee asked.

I followed her line of vision and my eyes grew wide. Movement began in the tree line and then they came; dozens of them. I wasn't sure what I'd expected, but seeing them was a shock.

Dressed in varied styles from as far back as the 19th century they moved slowly, but with purpose. Some looked normal and except for the gray skin and black circles under their eyes they could have been living people. Others varied from hideous to downright grotesque with decaying body parts (some missing various limbs).

"Oh Momma this is horrible. Those poor people." Renesmee wailed.

"They aren't people, Renesmee. Their souls have long since moved on; those are just empty shells."

I watched as the fight began. Sam was the first to attack. He grabbed a large male zombie by the middle and shook him violently. The zombie made no move to defend himself, and no other zombie came to his defense. When the wretched body broke in half, Sam stepped back his head lowered. The two halves of the zombie continued to move, inching along the ground toward the house.

On another screen a fire suddenly erupted. Alice and Jasper had started a bonfire and were hurling zombie parts into the flames, while engaging in the fight themselves. Within moments it was total chaos. Edward moved faster than a human's eye could keep up but I tracked his every move. He fell to his knee and I gasped but he was up, ripping the head off the corpse of an old woman in a flowing nightgown.

Esme flipped a teenage corpse into the air and Seth caught it, flipping it into the fire. Carlisle and Emmett focused on several large zombies who'd obviously been obese in life. Amazingly they hadn't deteriorated at all, even though one of them wore a suit that had gone out of still in the early 21st century.

"See, they aren't getting to the house." I reassured Renesmee.

"They aren't, but what about them?" Renesmee asked looking at a monitor that covered the back of the house.

Walking side by side were Aro, Caius, Jane, and her brother. Behind them were five other members of the Volturi, keeping pace. The fight was concentrated in the front, but Alice should have seen this coming. Whatever was blocking her visions had left us vulnerable.

There was no time to warn them; no time to call for help. They breached the house through the back door, and kept coming. I put Renesmee in the far back corner and told her not to move. I felt the rush of adrenaline as my body instinctively prepared to fight.

When the two foot thick metal door began to buckle I crouched low to the floor, ready to defend my child…


	3. Chapter 3

The steel door groaned loudly, the sound reverberating off the steel walls in the safe room; it was earsplitting within the confined space. Renesmee was crying softly and I wanted to comfort her but I couldn't take my concentration off of the door. My shield surrounded both of us, but I couldn't send it through solid walls to protect Edward and the rest of our family and friends.

_I love you Edward. _ I said just above a whisper so Renesmee wouldn't hear. I knew Alice would see it,and if things didn't end well Edward could see it through her. I wanted to glance at the monitors but I didn't. How was I going to fight so many Volturi?

With one last groan the door ripped free of its casing and flew violently across the room. The safe room had been built in Carlisle's library, and the sheer force of the door hitting the floor sent books tumbling off shelves.

I launched myself forward just as Jane breached the threshold of the safe room. I saw beyond her into the library; Aro and the others watched with rapt attention, but made no move to intervene.

"Pain." Jane said without emotion.

"Lots of it." I agreed, grabbing her around the throat.

I felt her powers trying to break through my shield; it was painful but I could manage. I lifted her off the ground, her legs flailing wildly. Apparently causing pain was her only defense, because it didn't take more than a flick of my wrist to throw her away from me. She sailed over the heads of the Volturi and crashed into a book shelf, destroying it. She struggled to get up but Aro stopped her.

"Mom?" Renesmee whispered.

"Not now Renesmee. I'm busy."

Jane's brother Alec stepped forward, his eyes glowing a bloody red. When the black fog of his powers began to snake toward me I braced for the impact it would make with my shield. We stood there for several minutes; locked in a stalemate. Alec couldn't breach my shield, but neither could I push his powers back.

"Enough." Caius said and Alec immediately retracted the black void.

I knew my first moment of true panic a second later when Felix stepped around Aro and Caius. Known for his physical strength, Felix was brutal in his attacks; unparalleled in battle. I wasn't certain our entire coven could take him on and win, but I had no choice; it was him or Renesmee, and my daughter would never fall into the hands of the Volturi.

I felt my rage back building. I wanted to run at him but I couldn't go beyond the threshold; if I did Renesmee would be vulnerable; I had to guard the door. Felix came closer on calculated steps…five…four…three...I drew back to punch him square on the jaw, but he was suddenly gone.

I watched in surprised gratitude as Emmett appeared, and grabbed Felix from behind. He jerked him backward, away from me. The two vampires squared off; it was a much more equal fight now. They ran at each other, Emmett was quickest and got the upper hand. He grabbed Felix by both arms and somersaulted over him lifting Felix up and over his head, slamming him into the carpeted floor.

Felix was up in an instant; he wheeled around and caught Emmett on the jaw sending him hurtling across the room. I kept my eye on the Volturi, but amazingly none of them moved to intervene. Something wasn't right with this picture. If Aro wanted Renesmee so badly, why weren't the Volturi putting up a bigger fight?

Emmett flew through the air catching ahold of Felix's head. He began to twist and pull, and the sickening sound of cracking porcelain rent the air, but the Volturi remained silent. Jane took a step forward, but Aro shook his head and she immediately demurred.

"Pull Emmett. Pull his head off." I encouraged.

"Mom, I need tell you something." Renesmee said behind me.

"I can't right now, and get back out of sight." I said without turning around.

"But Mom…"

"Renesmee do as you're told." I snapped loudly.

She didn't say another word. I continued to encourage Emmett; Felix was trying his best to relieve himself of his tormentor, but Emmett had a death grip on the giant vampire, and wasn't letting go.

The cracking sound grew louder, and with a last growl Felix was relieved of his head. His torso fell to the ground just as Emmett tossed the head into the safe room, away from the Volturi.

"Impressive." Aro clapped. "Here I thought Felix was unbeatable, and yet you've prevailed." He said to Emmett.

"We've done nothing wrong, the Volturi aren't needed here." Emmett said.

"Leave us, or prepare for war, Aro." I added.

"Ahhh, sweet Bella." Aro crooned. "Is this any way to welcome guests into your home?"

"You're no guest of ours; leave us in peace, Aro." Emmett said.

"Strange, I've never been wrong before. Have I brother?" Aro turned to Caius, a quizzical look on his porcelain like face. "Did we, or did we not, receive an invitation to visit the Cullen home?"

"Indeed we did, Brother."

What game were they playing? No one ever invited the Volturi to do anything. I wish Carlisle was here, he had experience dealing in depth with them. Aro was obviously deceiving us, but to what end?

"If you were invited, then why the zombies; we know you reanimated them." I curled my upper lip. Had the coven already come across Charlie's corpse?

"We meant no harm, I assure you Bella." Aro smiled wickedly. "Look at them as…party favors. Yes, that's what they are: entertainment for a festive evening."

"My family is out there right now fighting off the undead. My own father's body is likely among those being burned. How cruel can you be?" I demanded.

"I would never treat your beloved father in so degrading a manner." Aro looked shocked.

"Of course we wouldn't, Bella. The body of Charlie Swan deserves a more…honored position." Caius smirked.

"Meaning?" I was getting a bad feeling.

The answer was cut off by the arrival of Carlisle. Edward and the others came in on his heels. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks; unsure whether to fight or attempt reason. Cooler heads prevailed, and Carlisle stepped forward.

"Why have you come here?"

"They say we invited them." Emmett said before Aro could speak.

"Pardon me?" Carlisle asked in bewilderment.

Alice suddenly gasped, and everyone turned to look at her. Her eyes were flicking rapidly back and forth; she was having a vision. Carlisle asked her calmly what she had seen. I wasn't prepared for her answer.

"They were invited." She said in a rush. "By a member of our family, but it was an innocent mistake."

"WHO?" We all demanded at the same time.

"By me..." Renesmee said slipping past me, out of the safe room.


	4. Chapter 4

My mind flashed back to the day Charlie was buried. I'm not sure why I retreated into my memories just then; self-preservation, I suppose. It had been a miserable day-in more ways than one.

We wouldn't attend the service; twenty years had passed and the townspeople of Forks couldn't see us. Jessica owned the florist shop in town, and was handling the flowers; that meant she-among others who knew us-would be there.

Renesmee had reached full maturity, but she looked the age she should be. Jacob's aging stopped the moment Renesmee was born; he couldn't escort her either. No, my precious child would have to shoulder the burden on her own. Our coven returned to the lake house to be there for support; but we couldn't be seen.

Renesmee drove herself to the funeral home and arranged everything, refusing to view her grandpa. Jacob and Seth tracked her to make sure she was safe; it had taken Edward and Carlisle hours to make Jacob see reason; he wanted to be by her side regardless of the consequences.

The casket wouldn't be opened during the service. I worried that Renesmee would regret that decision, but she's a lot like me: hardheaded and determined. So we backed off and gave her the space she needed, and she amazed us all. The service was simple—exactly what Charlie would have wanted. When it was over we stayed at the lake house for a few days before making the long trek back to Alaska; our home at the time.

I often regretted not sneaking into the funeral home to see him, but it had seemed somehow wrong. All these years later I could still see Charlie's face; his lopsided smile and twinkling eyes. That was enough…

Another memory worked its way to the surface. Renesmee and I had been sitting on the back deck of the lake house the evening after the funeral. We were reminiscing about Charlie and all the good times, when she'd said something odd.

"Maybe Grandpa will visit us again sometime."

"That's a nice thought." I smiled.

"Perhaps it's more than a thought."

"Renesmee you know that isn't possible, right?"

I was concerned. She'd never experienced death before; we'd never had a cause to explain it to her. Did she really believe her grandpa could return? Edward was hunting with Emmett and Jasper; Jacob was visiting the pack. I would have to field this one.

"Mom, nothing in this world is black and white; you know that. If Grandpa gets a chance to visit, I made sure he knew he'll always be welcome."

"What? How?"

"I told him. The casket was closed but I don't think that matters. I told him he was welcome any time."

"Don't put your hopes in that, sweetie."

"I understand how humans view life and death, Mom. We both know there are unexplainable things as well. Never discount the unknown; it will surprise you every time…"

I shook the memories out of my head, focusing once again on the present. I glanced at Alice; she knew something she wasn't saying, and I was beginning to put it together myself. I shook my head, unwilling to accept the possibility.

"I think so." She said. "But I can't see it."

"That's impossible." Edward argued, having read Alice's train of thought.

_Never discount the unknown; it will surprise you every time…_

If it was true, we were all caught in a horror movie come to life. I looked at Renesmee; she was trembling and breathing in tiny pants. She understood; she knew what had happened.

"How, Aro?" I stormed up to him. "Let me go, Edward." I growled when my husband came up from behind, wrapping his arms protectively around me. He loosened his grip but left his arms around my waist. "How did you accomplish it?"

"You seem upset, Bella and I thought we were all going to make nice and finally be friends."

"Answer me. How…did…you…do…it?"

Everyone in our family spoke at once, demanding to know what we were talking about. The Volturi smiled wickedly, ready to reveal all. I knew my life was going to change again…I'd had one perfect century, and now the walls were crumbling. When Aro started speaking, it was to confirm what I already knew.

"I must admit things played out much differently than we'd foreseen. When Felix pushed the truck over the side of the embankment we thought Charlie had died before we got to him; but good fortune was on our side."

"Wait, you mean Charlie's death wasn't an accident? You killed him?" Jasper spat.

"Indeed. Bella's resistance was too strong, we needed to equal the playing field; the Volturi needs you Bella. We never take no for an answer." Caius supplied, and then gave the floor back to Aro.

"Luckily we knew the morphine slowed down your change so we assumed it would do the same for anyone."

"Oh my gawd." Rosalie was finally catching on.

"Fortune smiled on us twice more; sweet Renesmee demanded a closed coffin, and the local undertaker was in dire financial circumstances."

Aro stopped, allowing everyone the chance to arrive at the conclusion on their own; it was like watching a cat play with a mouse. He loved every painful moment.

"Edward take Bella and Renesmee from the room." Carlisle instructed in a low tone.

"No!" I said. "We'll both stay. Aro, enough of this; where is my father? Where is Charlie?"

Movement from the back of the room caught everyone's attention; a figure in a dark hooded cloak walked forward. I knew what was coming next…we all did. Edward and I instinctively placed Renesmee between us. Where were the werewolves? Two chalk white hands reached up and lowered the cloak breathing life into my nightmare.

"Hello Bells…long time no see."…Charlie said.


	5. Chapter 5

"Dad?" I asked.

"That's me, Charlie Swan; father of the infamous Isabella Swan at your service." He curled his upper lip.

"Oh Dad I'm so sorry, I should have protected you better."

"You didn't protect me at all, but I don't regret your neglect, Bella. In fact I find it…liberating."

"The Volturi are bad, Charlie, they don't put value on anything and their bloodlust is sickening." I was never going to call him Dad again!

"The bloodlust is the best part, Bells; you don't know what you're missing." Charlie closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, a look of intoxication distorting his features. "The smell of blood is heady and strong here; but it's not fresh."

"It's refrigerated blood; we don't kill people, Charlie. It's barbaric."

"Bella…Bella…Bella. Always a goody-goody, some things never change." He sneered at me.

There was nothing left of the down to earth, loving father I'd known all those years ago. He was Charlie, just like I was still Bella, but he was different; he had the look of predator about him-he was Volturi, through and through. I wanted to destroy Aro for this tragedy; but first I wanted to get Charlie away from them. He could change; Carlisle did after living among the Volturi.

"Such a happy family reunion." Aro clapped his hands together and laughed. "I've waited so many years to reveal my surprise, Bella. I hope you like it." He smiled at me.

"You're sick." I said with confidence.

Carlisle stepped up next to me; now I stood between him and Edward. When I started to say something, Carlisle put his hand on my arm, stopping me. I looked sideways at him, and he shook his head. I clamped my mouth closed, and waited. He spoke next.

"Aro, the Volturi are an old and respected fraternity. Bella is simply overcome seeing Charlie. What is it you want here?" He spoke slowly and with meaning.

"We were invited, so we came to see Bella. Charlie wants her, and so do we. Alice would be a nice bonus, but we won't be greedy." Aro leered.

"I'm not going with you!" I said derisively.

"Oh I think you'll eventually see reason." Caius input.

"The invitation was extended by an innocent. She didn't understand."

"What damn invitation?" I demanded.

"Bella, the Volturi act as one unit; what is given to one member is open to all of them. When Renesmee whispered an invitation to Charlie to 'visit anytime', she extended an invitation to the Volturi, when Charlie became one of them."

"I'm sorry, Mom." Renesmee cried.

"Charlie, look at your granddaughter. Look at what you're doing to her." I yelled.

Rosalie had her arms around Renesmee, and she was whispering encouragement to her, reassuring her that she'd done nothing wrong. The Volturi would have come anyway; they just like the sick little joke of using her kindness to her dead Grandpa. I hoped Renesmee listened to Rose, because I couldn't comfort her right then; I was busy protecting her.

"She does seem a little…pale." Charlie laughed. "Renesmee, come with me; I'll show you a life your parents have kept from you. A life where you can have everything your heart desires." He took several steps in her direction, but was stopped by Edward; Carlisle held me back.

"I don't want to hurt you." Edward said placing his hands on Charlie's shoulders. "Let us help you, Charlie."

Charlie didn't answer, but he stopped moving.

This was getting us nowhere. It was a volatile situation that I expected to erupt at any moment, unless something was done. He called Charlie back to his side, but Edward stayed where he was, keeping himself between Renesmee and danger. Rosalie moved directly in front of her, as a barrier.

Thankfully Alice chose that moment to engage Aro in conversation. "Why couldn't I see this?" She asked.

"Sweet Alice, I'm in the giving mood tonight, so I'll tell you. Our youngest member confirmed our hopes that Bella's _special gift_ was hereditary."

So that's why they'd gone after Charlie. They hoped he would have the same gift I did, since we were blood related in life. But that didn't explain why Alice was blocked. She could see my actions with no problem.

"But his gift isn't exactly like Bella's is it Aro?" Alice prodded.

"Not exact, no."

Alice paced back and forth, and every eye in the room watched her. I could tell by her facial expressions that she was thinking of-then discarding-various ideas. Aro was watching her, completely captivated and eager to see what she would say next. We didn't have to wait long.

"Charlie is a shield, too. But he can only block mind invasion. Bella can block physical invasion." Alice said.

"So?" I said, I didn't see any connection.

"Aro wants to combine both gifts; then the Volturi will be able to move completely cloaked, to both the vampire and human worlds. Charlie will give them element of surprise, and you'll protect them during an attack." Edward supplied the answer for me.

"But when Charlie gets close enough, the mind shield drops. It's why I saw the zombies, but not until they were nearly on us." Alice was still revealing her conclusions.

"Very good, Alice, I always did like you." Charlie said. "See Bella, together we can do anything."

"We'll never be together, Charlie. I don't even know you." I spat.

Charlie looked at both Aro and Caius, when they nodded he turned and spoke; finally cutting to the chase. "Your refusal will mean an army of zombies. Every day that you refuse to join us a new cluster of corpses will be reanimated and given rabies tainted blood. That will make them violent and deadly to all humans."

"Charlie do you hear yourself? You pledged your life to protecting people, and now you're talking about destroying them." I was incredulous.

"If the Volturi can't win you by stealth, we'll demand you by force." He answered without emotion.

Aro and Caius suddenly moved toward the door, the remaining Volturi following in their wake. Charlie was the last to leave, but not before giving me one last bit of information.

"The Volturi is allowing you two weeks to make your decision. After that the first wave begins."

They vanished without another word. I wondered what had made them leave, and got the answer when a very large red wolf came in to the room. Jacob looked at Edward, and after a minute, Edward translated.

"The last cluster of zombies has gotten past Leah, they're almost here."


End file.
